Mapping initiative hopes to bring Internet to rural areas

Published: Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 10:06 p.m.

Local Internet providers and an Internet service advocacy group are hoping to bring high-speed Internet access to more residents in rural areas of Western North Carolina.

Mountain Area Information Network provides a website for "Mapping Broadband in Western North Carolina," which runs speed tests and provides results to compare with the Federal Communications Commission broadband availability map, said Wally Bowen, executive director of MAIN.

The FCC estimates more than 48,000 residents in 16 Western North Carolina counties cannot get wired broadband service from an Internet provider because the providers have not expanded into those areas, Bowen said.

Typically the cable lines serve only the town proper and do not extend into less densely populated areas, he said.

"Based on our experiences, we believe the FCC is underestimating the scope of the problem," Bowen said.

Broadband is important in today's world, as it provides people with means for an education, job searches, running a business and managing medical and financial records, among others.

"It is a serious disadvantage without that," Bowen said.

MAIN serves as a platform for citizens to share their experiences with policymakers and elected officials to solve the rural broadband problem, Bowen said.

The website for "Mapping Broadband in WNC" is phase one of a project funded by a $10,000 Rural Digital Advocacy grant from the Rural Policy Action Partnership. The partnership includes the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State, the Center for Rural Strategies, Network Impact Inc. and the Kellogg Foundation.

The project, launched Feb. 1, will also provide training for staff and volunteers on how to utilize digital mapping to help the public understand the issue regarding the lack of service in their area.

More information on "Mapping Broadband in WNC" project can be found at www.main.nc.us/bbmap/.

Meanwhile, Morris Broadband, a cable, digital phone and Internet provider providing service in Henderson, Jackson and Macon counties, continues to reach out to rural communities.

"It is an ongoing issue to expand our footprint for services and help the community gain higher bandwidth," said Tony Carter, general manager for Morris Broadband.

Through the company's fiber-optic infrastructure and partnering with other cable and Internet providers, Morris has expanded its reach to more rural businesses and communities in the region.

Morris provides residential download speeds of 10 megabytes and upload speeds of one megabyte, with the capability to offer customers additional variety of packages and speeds that can go as high as 100 megabytes.

There is still work to be done to reach out to more folks in rural areas, including parts of Henderson County.

"This is not just a quick glance," Carter said about Morris' efforts in researching the problem. "We are spending money, time and effort to have a full-scale business model to see if it is feasible to build in southern Henderson County."

He added, "If there is anything we can do to help service in these areas, we will," he said.

<p>Local Internet providers and an Internet service advocacy group are hoping to bring high-speed Internet access to more residents in rural areas of Western North Carolina.</p><p>Mountain Area Information Network provides a website for "Mapping Broadband in Western North Carolina," which runs speed tests and provides results to compare with the Federal Communications Commission broadband availability map, said Wally Bowen, executive director of MAIN.</p><p>The FCC estimates more than 48,000 residents in 16 Western North Carolina counties cannot get wired broadband service from an Internet provider because the providers have not expanded into those areas, Bowen said. </p><p>Typically the cable lines serve only the town proper and do not extend into less densely populated areas, he said.</p><p>"Based on our experiences, we believe the FCC is underestimating the scope of the problem," Bowen said.</p><p>Broadband is important in today's world, as it provides people with means for an education, job searches, running a business and managing medical and financial records, among others. </p><p>"It is a serious disadvantage without that," Bowen said.</p><p>MAIN serves as a platform for citizens to share their experiences with policymakers and elected officials to solve the rural broadband problem, Bowen said.</p><p>The website for "Mapping Broadband in WNC" is phase one of a project funded by a $10,000 Rural Digital Advocacy grant from the Rural Policy Action Partnership. The partnership includes the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State, the Center for Rural Strategies, Network Impact Inc. and the Kellogg Foundation.</p><p>The project, launched Feb. 1, will also provide training for staff and volunteers on how to utilize digital mapping to help the public understand the issue regarding the lack of service in their area. </p><p>More information on "Mapping Broadband in WNC" project can be found at www.main.nc.us/bbmap/. </p><p>Meanwhile, Morris Broadband, a cable, digital phone and Internet provider providing service in Henderson, Jackson and Macon counties, continues to reach out to rural communities.</p><p>"It is an ongoing issue to expand our footprint for services and help the community gain higher bandwidth," said Tony Carter, general manager for Morris Broadband.</p><p>Through the company's fiber-optic infrastructure and partnering with other cable and Internet providers, Morris has expanded its reach to more rural businesses and communities in the region.</p><p>Morris provides residential download speeds of 10 megabytes and upload speeds of one megabyte, with the capability to offer customers additional variety of packages and speeds that can go as high as 100 megabytes.</p><p>There is still work to be done to reach out to more folks in rural areas, including parts of Henderson County.</p><p>"This is not just a quick glance," Carter said about Morris' efforts in researching the problem. "We are spending money, time and effort to have a full-scale business model to see if it is feasible to build in southern Henderson County."</p><p>He added, "If there is anything we can do to help service in these areas, we will," he said.</p><p>Visit www.morrisbroadband.com for more information.</p><p>Reach Schulman at 828-694-7890 or mark.schulman@blueridgenow.com.</p>